1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a collection of nail hammering game pieces. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a collection of portable and easily transportable and set up Hammerschlagen or Nagelspielen or nail hammering game pieces.
2. Background Art
The object of the nail hammering game is for two or more players to drive nails into a tree stump. The fewer the number of strokes it takes to drive a nail into the stump, the higher the score will be. There are many different ways to play and many different sets of rules. However, the essence of the game is to hammer a nail into the tree stump.
According to the website http://www.salinemainstreet.org/2012/09/08/new-event-at-oktoberfest/:, Hammerschlagen or Nagelspielen is defined as follows:                “Hammer-Schlagen (the “Striking Hammer” or “Hammer-Striking”) is a brand of the German game Nailspielen (the “Nail Game” or “Playing With Nails”) which reportedly dates to the first Oktoberfest in 1810. Shortly after opening in 1966, the first instance of Nailspielen in the United States was reportedly found at the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Stillwater, Minn. It was played there in the traditional fashion until the restaurant owner's father branded the Nailspielen service[1] and vested the brand of Hammer-Schlagen and the related intellectual property in WRB, Inc.[2]        Both Hammer-Schlagen and Nailspielen are essentially the same. Nailspielen is played with an axe while Hammerschlagen is played with a hammer.        The game is typically played with a Cross-peen hammer or blacksmith's hammer and a large (24-36″) cross-section of a soft hardwood. Cottonwood is suitably soft for this game. The hammer must have a wedge-shaped (but not sharp) end on it and should be at least 2.5 pounds.        The log is set up waist high with the flat sides facing the floor and ceiling. A bright common nail (12/16d) is driven about a half inch into the wood in front of each player. Each player's turn consists of setting the wedge-end of the hammer on the log next to their nail and taking a single swing at it. The swing must be done in a smooth up and down motion. Male players must use one hand. Female players may use both hands.        Sound easy? It is more challenging than you think! Frequently, a player will bend their nail in such a way as to make driving it further nearly impossible. In this case, the player may use their turn to make a single-motion swing at the nail from the side in an attempt to straighten the nail. You are not required to stand in the same place for the entire game. Often it is necessary to switch sides of the log to get a better angle on your nail.”        
One disadvantage associated with conventional game pieces lies in the size of a stump used to play the game as it often is too heavy and bulky to transport. Players or organizers of such game are faced with several difficulties which have prevented more popular acceptance of such game. First, suitably sized and conditioned wood blocks must be selected from non-purposely cut tree trunks. The selection process may be complicated by factors such as the variety of tree the blocks have originated from, the condition of the blocks due to weathering and health conditions of the tree from which the blocks have originated from, the quality of the cuts as the top surface of a slice may not be substantially parallel with the bottom surface of the slice, the size and weight of the blocks, and the like. Then, once a block has been selected, there is the issue of supporting the block which is usually disposed and supported outdoors. The support preferably does not present a barrier (especially to the toes) to a user approaching the block but yet should be sufficiently sturdy such that any conceivably placed weight, e.g., due to the impact created by a striking tool while nail striking is attempted, does not cause the block to fall off of the support.
Thus, there arises a need for nail hammering game pieces which are easily transportable and ones which solve all of the problems associated with procuring, transporting, deploying, gathering and using conventional nail hammering game pieces.